A new sneak peek at Grey’s Anatomy season 21 sees the return of Jesse Williams‘ beloved Jackson Avery and tensions rising at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital after season 20’s dramatic finale.
In the clip, exclusively provided to People, fans get their first glimpse at Dr. Sydney Heron (Kali Rocha) and “all her passive-aggressive glory” since 2007 when she left the ABC medical drama.
In the 30-second glimpse at the upcoming season, Rocha’s Dr. Heron is seen speaking to the interns and telling them to think of her as one of them because she was previously a resident at the hospital. “Who’s ready to heal with love?” she says before hugging Chandra Wilson’s Dr. Miranda Bailey.
The teaser also reveals that Jesse Williams’ Dr. Jackson Avery will be returning for season 21 in some capacity — and his character does not seem thrilled with Ellen Pompeo‘s Dr. Meredith Grey, following the events of the season 20 finale.
At the end of the previous season, Catherine Fox (Debbie Allen) fired Meredith and Dr. Amelia Shepherd for publishing their research on Alzheimer’s and how it’s linked to gut microbiome health, instead of letting her hand it over to Tom Koracick (Greg Germann), like she wanted them to.
The sneak peek at season 21 also included a scene that sees tensions between Bailey and Catherine at an all-time high after she stepped in during the season 20 finale and refused to let Catherine fire Lucas Adams (Niko Terho).
“You think you’re God’s gift to this hospital?” Catherine asks Bailey. “You’re just another doctor,” she adds before the Grey’s Anatomy legend slaps her across the face.
In the final seconds of the teaser, Catherine is seen telling Meredith she’s going to sue her for publishing her work that the Fox Foundation funded. In true Meredith fashion, she responds: “Your lawyers know where to find me.”
Grey’s Anatomy season 21 premieres on Sept. 26.
